[Board] Re: Growth stages theory

[Tyler Mitchell]

Gave wrong link: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_87.htm

On 2011-09-13, at 12:55 AM, Tyler Mitchell wrote:

> I spent a bit of time a while back trying to get a handle on how OSGeo
> has developed and where it might be headed - in terms of size, challenges, 
> successes, etc.   While we are unique in many ways, I don't believe we are
> so strange that looking at other organisations isn't helpful.
> 
> At one point I landed on this very short article that I thought 
> might help us understand OSGeo's lifecycle:
> 
> http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newLDR_87.php
> 
> You can find out more about the Grenier lifecycle Curve and the various
> "crises" that organisations experience at different points in their lives.
> 
> Where do you think we are at in terms of their "phases"?
> 
> I think we've managed several areas quite well, for example,
> you got some full time professional staff helping to move things forward
> - though you could argue whether we've got through the leadership 
> crisis stage or not.  We've been good at delegating and built up while 
> keeping red tape low.
> 
> It feels like we're slogging through Phase 2, but I also see aspects of
> increased delegation and coordination (Phases 3 & 4). 
> 
> I certainly feel there is potential growth still in collaboration and 
> alliances - and this is partly why I landed on the idea of the various
> network-based target groups I mentioned earlier - academic, gov/ngo, etc.
> 
> Anyway, just throwing it out there in case it helps with brainstorming.
> 
> Tyler
>